Wednesday, May 08, 2024
All the conspiracies
The Guardian reports that MPs and election candidates are being provided with a guide on recognising conspiracy theories – ranging from false claims about 5G technology to others about vaccines and global organisations such as the International Monetary Fund.
The paper says that the guide was commissioned by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, who launched it on Tuesday with the shadow leader, Lucy Powell, amid concern about the impact of conspiracies theories, in many cases with antisemitic overtones. The paper lists some of the conspiracies covered:
The Great Reset
Originally a vague set of proposals from the World Economic Forum to encourage governments to move to adopt more equitable policies, the concept has been hijacked by conspiracy theorists claiming it is a bid by a small group to exert control.
Spin-off theories have included claims – fuelled by attempts to reduce meat consumption – that the WEF wants to make people eat insects.
The Great Replacement
A belief that there is a plan to replace the European white population with minority ethnic groups. Far-right European politicians have repeated the claim, which has also been name-checked by more traditional rightwingers such as the French conservative presidential candidate, Valérie Pécresse.
QAnon
A claim that a paedophile ring is being run by a global elite, sometimes in the form of shape-shifting reptilians. It made inroads into the UK among some of the more extreme anti-vaccine activists during the pandemic.
5G
Linked to the Great Reset theory, the belief holds that 5G technology is unsafe due to radiation from 5G waves. In the UK it has led to a spate of attacks on telecoms engineers since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
The war in Ukraine
Pro-Russia narratives, sometimes tied in with antisemitic messaging, have sought to portray the invasion as countering power-grabs by global elites.
Elon Musk, the US billionaire and X owner, is singled out in the guide for tweeting a version of a meme associated with conspiracies about the conflict.
The problem with this guide of course, as the article points out, is that a number of conspiracy theories are being promoted by some of the very MPs who are being warned about them.
The paper says that the guide was commissioned by Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, who launched it on Tuesday with the shadow leader, Lucy Powell, amid concern about the impact of conspiracies theories, in many cases with antisemitic overtones. The paper lists some of the conspiracies covered:
The Great Reset
Originally a vague set of proposals from the World Economic Forum to encourage governments to move to adopt more equitable policies, the concept has been hijacked by conspiracy theorists claiming it is a bid by a small group to exert control.
Spin-off theories have included claims – fuelled by attempts to reduce meat consumption – that the WEF wants to make people eat insects.
The Great Replacement
A belief that there is a plan to replace the European white population with minority ethnic groups. Far-right European politicians have repeated the claim, which has also been name-checked by more traditional rightwingers such as the French conservative presidential candidate, Valérie Pécresse.
QAnon
A claim that a paedophile ring is being run by a global elite, sometimes in the form of shape-shifting reptilians. It made inroads into the UK among some of the more extreme anti-vaccine activists during the pandemic.
5G
Linked to the Great Reset theory, the belief holds that 5G technology is unsafe due to radiation from 5G waves. In the UK it has led to a spate of attacks on telecoms engineers since the start of the coronavirus crisis.
The war in Ukraine
Pro-Russia narratives, sometimes tied in with antisemitic messaging, have sought to portray the invasion as countering power-grabs by global elites.
Elon Musk, the US billionaire and X owner, is singled out in the guide for tweeting a version of a meme associated with conspiracies about the conflict.
The problem with this guide of course, as the article points out, is that a number of conspiracy theories are being promoted by some of the very MPs who are being warned about them.
